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Just as it appeared Bournemouth would be raging at the lack of the video assistant referee in the Premier League they had cause to give thanks to the official out in the middle as Mike Dean rightly awarded them a late penalty for a mindless elbow by Mamadou Sakho. It was enough to win this ferociously competitive clash with Crystal Palace.

“Justice,” said manager Eddie Howe, but that was in reference to the overall performance rather than the penalty incident – which he said he did not see – with this result lifting an impressively resilient Bournemouth to seventh place.

“I’ve been told their goal is offside,” Howe added. “I haven’t seen it, or the penalty. It’s justice in respect of our first half and end to the game being really good. We shaded it and deserved to win.”

They probably, just about, did as they book-ended this performance with a strong start and an even stronger ending, which has become a theme for them this season. The penalty struck by substitute Junior Stanislas – with what was his first touch – was the fifth goal Bournemouth have scored past the 80th minute in all competitions.

“It is a massive part of our armoury,” Howe said. “The fitness levels are second to none. The spirit and togetherness is always there. It enables us to stay in games. I was really pleased with the desire.”

Cherry: Brooks celebrates his first goal for the clubCredit:
Michael Steele/Getty Images

There were two big moments of controversy. The first came with Palace’s goal, struck by Patrick van Aanholt. It was a brilliant finish but the left-back was clearly offside as he ran on to Wilfried Zaha’s through ball down the left. Van Aanholt superbly fired in a powerful right-footed shot that caught out goalkeeper Asmir Begovic high at his near post. Begovic got a hand to it but could not keep the shot out.

The Premier League is continuing to trial VAR and, although it has its problems, the difficulty for them is when a game like this is shown live, the viewing audience knows within seconds that the goal should not have stood.

Then, in the 87th minute, came the penalty. Palace needlessly gave away a free-kick which Ryan Fraser swung in. Sakho had a look at Jefferson Lerma and clearly stuck out an elbow, catching the midfielder on the chin. Dean had no hesitation, booking Sakho before Stanislas picked up the ball and coolly chipping his penalty down the centre of the goal as goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey dived to his left.

“Before the penalty there was some pushing, the referee said ‘no more’. I didn’t see if there was contact or not,” said Bournemouth ­defender Nathan Ake. The reaction of Palace manager Roy Hodgson, however, said it all. “We paid a high price for the mistakes we made,” he said, clearly frustrated in what has been a frustrating season so far.

“We end up with nothing to show for our efforts. The ball is hit into a crowded area and the referee blew his whistle… we didn’t have a clue what had happened at the time. Mamadou Sakho has no intention to elbow the player or use an elbow to stop the player getting to the ball. I can’t deny that, when you see it on the television, he does catch the player and, as a result, the referee is quite within his rights to give the penalty.”

Before all of that it had appeared that an accomplished strike by David Brooks, his first Bournemouth goal, would be the difference. His first-time shot, with Palace napping, from Callum Wilson’s pass kissed the crossbar on its way past Hennessey as Bournemouth came out of the blocks. “A wonder goal,” Hodgson said, with Brooks becoming Bournemouth’s youngest ever Premier League scorer at 21 years and 84 days.

Palace struggled with Zaha starved of possession and there was little goal threat without him involved, although they significantly improved in the second half when he did get on the ball more.

Credit Howe, though. After the equalising goal, he changed Bournemouth’s system and they again dominated. Hennessey did well to block Wilson’s shot with an outstretched boot as he was clear on goal and turning away substitute Dan Gosling’s header.

Then came the penalty with tempers boiling over – Lerma, Fraser Cheikhou Kouyate and Tomkins were all booked – as Bournemouth fought to the end, even if it was Palace who delivered the crucial blow.

Full time: Bournemouth 2 Palace 1

Bournemouth made a great start, then let Palace back into it. Brooks scored his first goal for the club.

In the second half, Palace raised their game, and were good value for their equaliser. Eddie Howe moved well to tighten things up, and all in all a draw would probably have been a fair result. But then a silly bit of defending from Sakho gifted the hosts a penalty, and sub Stanislas planted it home for the points.

Mr Roy looks absolutely livid, and I am sure Jason Burt will be covering all of the above in his match report, which has arrived with both pip and vim. I'll turn this blog over to that now. Goodnight.

83 mins: Bournemouth 1 Palace 1

Oh, shocker from Van Aanholt! He's given the ball away, Fraser races clear, he's got Wilson alongside him for support. He finds the forward, who only has to apply the finish. But Hennessey has stuck out a leg and has denied him. Huge moment in the game, Bournemouth should have scored.

65 mins: Bournemouth 1 Palace 1

64 mins: Bournemouth 1 Palace 1

Eddie Howe has to do something, and that thing is to move King out onto the left, and go one up front (ie Wilson) with a five-man midfield. This has given AFCB a bit more shape, solidity and composure.

61 mins: Bournemouth 1 Palace 1

Much like Palace in the first half, Bournemouth did sweet fa for ten minutes, went behind, and have now started to play really well! King unleashes a thunderbison of a shot, is adjudged offside, but I'm not so sure. Now his partner Wilson has nearly reaches for a tap in.

58 mins: Bournemouth 1 Palace 1

Yep, he is offside

GOAL! Bournemouth 1 Crystal Palace 1 (van Aanholt 55)

Richly deserved, albeit arguably offside. Lots of pressure from Palace, Zaha showing his class and smarts as he times it perfectly to release the overlapping PVA down the left. Van Aanholt cuts in, and drills it home.

Half time: Bournemouth 1 Palace 0

45 mins: Bournemouth 1 Palace 0

Cook and Brooks both having good games. Zaha very quiet for Palace, but not as quiet as old Andros, they could have saved on his train ticket down from Croydon on this showing so far. Perhaps Mr Roy can jiggy things up at half time, for such period is now upon us.

Who is that referee, you ask?

28 mins: Bournemouth 1 Palace 0

David Brooks, known to all the lads in the AFC Bournemouth dressing room as Elkie, thinks "no more the fool" as he glares at one or two Palace opponents, the young, rather coltish Welshman has come in for some tough challenges so far. But he has his goal, and he is causing problems down that left flank.

And sure enough, Brooks has given van Arnholt a sly little kick, and into the referee's book he goes.

22 mins: Bournemouth 1 Palace 0

19 mins: Bournemouth 1 Palace 0

Wilson is given the ball in an tremendous position, again freed by the excellent Fraser, a young man who looks to have a real gift for doing the right thing at the right time. But Wilson himself is expertly marshalled by the defender Sakho.

7 mins: Bournemouth 1 Palace 0

GOAL! Bournemouth 1 Palace 0 (Brooks 5)

And it's well deserved, they have looked much the better side and Palace have not turned up. Nice, intelligent lay off from Wilson on the edge of the box finds Brooks. David Brooks has time to pick his spot, and curls the ball attractively. it smacks the inside of the bar and bounces down over the line. Brooks has his first goal for AFCB, and Bournemouth are ahead.

To the matter at hand then

Jamie Carragher

"I am in no doubt that he has lost the dressing room, I don't think that is rocket science.

"And this is the third time that has happened: Real Madrid, Chelsea and now.

"Look at how many sprints Man United have made. They are bottom of that table. A long way bottom. And there are lots of teams that dominate possession that are making chances.

"I had a conversation with Jose at Soccer Aid. The thing that he learned at Chelsea was that you cannot single a player out in front of other players now. They don't accept it. But it looks like he has done it again.

"He was the manager of the decade in 2000-2010. But do you have to be different with the players now?

"And is his style not conducive to the top end of the modern game?

"He is not someone that builds three teams at a club. He builds one team, but he is so confrontational that after three years he and everyone else is burned out by it.

"If he does not turn it around by this international break or maybe the next one it is very difficult for him.

It's Frank De Boer!

Well then. Jazzy old jacket he's got on there.

Credit:
Sky

He's also got rather a dull speaking manner. But never mind! Just look at that jacket!

Sky boss: So who do we get to be our pundit from a Palace perspective, someone who has a real connection with the club?Sky underling: How about Frank de Boer, one of the most unsuccessful and disastrous appointments they've had in recent history?Sky boss: Boom. Get him booked.